Hockey fans of a certain vintage -- i.e. those who can remember when there were ties in the game -- are familiar with the period in the early- and mid-1990s, when collecting players from the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty became something of an obsession around the NHL.

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Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland.

Photograph by : Windsor Star

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On the most basic level, it was understandable. As Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland says: "When you've had success, it probably means you've had some pretty good players."

But in the case of the ex-Oilers, it wasn't just the superstars -- the Messiers, the Andersons, the Fuhrs -- who were in demand.

It was lesser stars like Esa Tikkanen and Steve Smith, and role players like Craig Muni, Craig MacTavish and Charlie Huddy who extended their careers long past their best-before dates, largely because teams believed they could tap into that elusive but powerful something that winners are thought to possess.

Now, the situations aren't directly analogous. But there is something of the contemporary Detroit Red Wings which is reminiscent of the Oilers of 20 years ago.

True, the Wings haven't been forced into unloading their stars because of market pressures and shaky ownership. But, owing to the salary cap, they have to make some difficult choices regarding some very good NHL players, which is why Mikael Samuelsson is currently employed by the Vancouver Canucks and not by the Wings, where he revived a career that was on life support coming out of the lockout.

"He was great for us, a good player and a better person, and I'm glad he's found a home here," Holland said on Tuesday, just before the Wings and Canucks met. "I just didn't have the money. I guess I could have, but it meant another $500,000 player and how many $500,000 players can you have?"

Which is something the Canucks sympathize with -- to a point.

"Any time you can bring in a player who's won and has gone through those pressure moments, you want to do that," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "Bringing him and [defenceman Mathieu] Schneider in, both guys who've won in the past, is something we were looking for and will help the people in [the Canucks'] dressing room."

In his first 11 outings with the Orcans before Tuesday's game, Samuelsson has more than lived up to expectations, ripping off five goals and 10 points while playing the brainy, two-way game which has been at the core of the Wings' success for over a decade.

The Swedish winger, in fact, epitomizes the Wings' core values and while they've produced more dynamic players in Motown, the combination of skill, professionalism, versatility and off-the-charts hockey smarts is what drew the Canucks to Samuelsson in the first place.

"We look for a certain type of player," said Holland. "Some players who are good NHL players probably aren't comfortable in our system. But I think we've been good for other players who've come over."

Samuelsson's signing, then, served two purposes for the Canucks. Again, on the most basic level, they were getting a pretty good player. But they were also getting a player who seemed to represent the best qualities of the NHL's most successful team. As such, the hope is Samuelsson will influence the Canucks' room and, potentially, their style of play.

How such a player became available in the first place is the other part of this story.

Following the Wings' Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Holland was painfully aware he was confronting severe cap issues.

He also felt he could bring in Marian Hossa with one of those front-loaded, 12-year monster deals, then lock up Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler at a number which fit for the Wings.

That, at least, was the plan. In short order, however, Hossa priced himself off the Wings' payroll, which left Holland looking at Samuelsson and Hudler. Hudler was 25. Samuelsson was 32. Hudler, therefore, became the priority, which seemed like a good idea until he signed with the Russian league.

"If I would have known that, maybe I would have had a different mindset on Sammie," Holland lamented.

In other words, he knows what he's lost, just as the Canucks know what they've found.

ewilles@theprovince.com